


Ghosts

by hatakees (hey_classbutt)



Series: KakaSaku Alphabet [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, but seriously this can either be platonc or not it's up to you, first fic was smut second fic is platonic(?) angst, go figure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-14
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2020-10-14 19:40:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20606234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hey_classbutt/pseuds/hatakees
Summary: Sakura knows that Kakashi, of all people, knows what it's like to live with ghosts.





	Ghosts

Kakashi awakens in the middle of the night with a jolt, keenly aware that something is _ off _. His eyes sweep across the room for any signs of danger but find none. His ears strain to hear foreign noises and his mind burns as he searches for enemy chakra. Nothing. He frowns, swinging his legs over the bed and heaving himself up. Something is still definitely off. He pads through his small home, thinking maybe one of the dogs has dropped in and woken him up, although they’re usually more considerate when it’s 2am and he’s just returned from a mission.

As he enters the living room, a shadow outside on the balcony catches his breath as he reaches for one of the many kunai he has stashed in the bookcase. A flash of pink hair in the moonlight makes him release the breath as Sakura pulls back her hood and knocks gently on the windowpane. Kakashi wordlessly opens the window and makes his way to his small kitchen, Sakura’s soft footsteps following behind him as he starts to prepare some tea. 

He looks over his shoulder at Sakura as she stands in the doorway, her eyes wild and darting around the small space. Her hair is a mess and she’s clearly still wearing her pyjamas underneath her old raincoat. Her ashen complexion is only broken by the dark circles beneath her tired eyes. In short, she looks like absolute shit.

“Sakura...” He begins, stepping towards her worryingly small frame.

“_Don’t. _” She cuts him off with enough venom in her voice to make him step back. She pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. “Sorry. I just… didn’t want to be alone. But everyone else wants to talk. I’m tired of talking, it won’t change anything. I just want to be sad.” Her eyes look to him with a tiredness he’s all too familiar with. “I figured you of all people understand what it’s like to have ghosts.”

He nods, gesturing for her to sit down at the small table as he turns back to the kettle. He’s not too sure on the details, but something has changed in Sakura. She’d returned from a classified mission a few weeks before he’d left for his with horrors in her eyes. She refused to talk about what had happened with her boys and not even Ino seemed privy to it, but Tsunade had put Sakura on indefinite leave._ Something _ happened.

He places the two mugs of tea down and carefully sits in the chair next to Sakura. He’s not exactly great at comfort, but she wasn’t wrong. He knows what it’s like.

Are you not speaking to anybody?” He asks softly. Sakura scoffs coldly.

“I’m seeing a therapist once a week. Tsunade insisted.” 

“That’s… good. It’s important to try to talk about things and therapists are there to help you with stuff like this. They are also the worst, though.” Sakura laughs softly, and he takes that as a win.

“You know what’s weird? I haven’t cried. Me, the biggest crybaby in Konoha. And I haven’t cried once.” Sakura frowns into her tea. “I’m sad. And scared. And sometimes I feel like I can barely breathe. And yet I can’t cry. I don’t get it.” Kakashi places his hand on hers; it’s cold.

“Trauma has a way of screwing you over in weird ways. Ghosts are kinda assholes like that.” She looks him in the eye for the first time since she arrived. He resolutely holds her gaze. “You’re the kindest person I know, Sakura. You’re a good shinobi and a better friend. Please don’t let this make you think otherwise.” 

Sakura moves her chair closer to his and leans her head on his shoulder. His free hand raises to her head, stroking her knotted hair softly as she sighs.

“Do the ghosts ever go away?”

He considers lying, telling her that of course they do. That one day she’ll wake up and the blood on her hands will be gone, the screams in her head will be silent and the shadow in her soul will disappear. But instead he presses his masked lips to the crown of her head and murmurs the truth.

“No. It just gets easier to pretend.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for taking the time to read this fic! It's my first foray into this kind of writing, so kudos/comments/feedback will make me very happy!!


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